Chapter Three: Adventure at the Department Store
April 26, 2004
Raven stared at her reflection and glared. This stupid bet had caused all this trouble! She didn't blame Starfire, nor did she blame herself, but Raven was pissed off as all hell at what Starfire had the nerve to say to her! She didn't want to say such nasty things to Beast Boy, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. If she allowed her true emotions to show through, it would end up that all hell would break loose! And Raven creating hell was not good for the rest of the world.
She glared at her reflection again before throwing the clothes on the floor and trying to futilely straiten her hair, her brushing made it just look like a big lavender afro. Sighing, she gave up on her hair and fell back on to her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She thought again of Beast Boy and his well-chosen compliment. He had said she looked 'gorgeous'…
Raven's cheeks flared instantly and she heard a mirror shatter in the background. She cringed as she levitated the broken pieces into a trash receptacle. Beast Boy was always known to compliment Raven the most, and secretly she adored it. She loved having someone pay attention to her in such a nice way. Always telling her what a good job she had done in a battle, how nice the moon lighted her skin, how good her hair looked after she had it cut… all of the little things really did add up.
'Maybe…' Raven thought, shifting her body to lay on her stomach and stare at the pile of fashionable clothes. 'Maybe I do look okay in such… feminine clothing…' She got up and folded the clothes neatly to store them in her drawers. 'Maybe it's time for me to grow up…'
Raven sighed again and crawled under her covers. "Tomorrow…" she whispered, falling into a deep sleep. "Tomorrow I'll go shopping… and explain everything to Star…"
Sunlight streamed into the window, warming the dark covers of a seemingly innocent beauty. Raven opened an eye, mentally cursing her self for leaving the blinds open, but too lazy to go and close them. She threw off the covers one by one until only her thin purple sheet remained. But it was to little avail, the heat had now forced Raven into complete awareness of her surroundings.
The dark girl glared at the sun and threw off her sheet in order to meet the day… and the department store. She sighed as she looked in the mirror at her hair, it had turned into a very puffy, full-fledged, lavender 'fro. Struggling for several minutes with it, Raven was finally able to pull it into a very tiny, fluffy ponytail. She dressed in her normal attire of a black leotard and blue cape, pulling the hood tightly around her head. She refused to have anyone see her hair in its current afro faze.
Deciding that she looked suitable enough for public, she opened the door and crept silently into the hallway, hoping no one would be up to see her sneaking off to the department store. It appeared that the coast was clear, or so she thought as she rounded a corner… and ran into Starfire.
"Raven?" The pretty redhead questioned. "What are you doing, sneaking around in such a manner?"
"Ah…" Raven felt a surge of guilt run through her as she looked into her large, green eyes. "'Morning, Starfire…"
The girl blinked and nodded once. "Good Morning, Raven, you have not answered my question." Her voice was cold and distant, as if she still harbored unfavorable feelings from last night.
Raven shifted uncomfortably. "Starfire… can I talk to you… privately?"
Starfire looked around at the dark, empty hallway in confusion. "Is this not private enough?"
"Um… no. I… I don't want any of the guys to hear…" Raven began to retreat to her room, Starfire in tow. When the dark girl had closed her door, she turned to the happy-go-lucky redhead.
"I need to explain something to you…" Raven shifted uncomfortably, hoping nothing would break in her presence.
The girl blinked, and Raven noticed her coldness melting away. "About what?"
"Beast Boy."
Silence.
Raven turned away and took a deep break. "I think… I think I love him…" She cringed as she heard a picture frame shatter. Quickly, she levitated the glas to the wastebasket.
"I know that."
Raven whirled on her friend, only to see her smiling.
"What? You knew?"
"Of course! Am I not also a girl who is in love?" Starfire asked innocently. Raven sighed deeply and shook her head.
"Well… yeah… but… I don't know. I thought I was doing a good job of keeping it secret." Pause. "Do you think Beast Boy knows?"
Starfire shook her head, eyes narrowing at Raven. "No, because you are too mean to him!"
Raven took a step back in surprise, then glared at her ready to defend herself in every way. "I have to be, Starfire… if I don't, then my emotions will run wild and I'll never be able to control them again, and things will explode and shatter… then chaos ensues." Her voice went from angry to sorrowful in a few short seconds. "I want to love him, but I can't."
"So, you're rude to him instead?" Her voice was as sharp as a knife.
Raven sighed, giving into the alien girl's frankness. "You're right…"
"He at least needs to know how you feel about him," Starfire stated practically.
Raven looked shocked, as if surprised that her friend could suggest such a scandalous idea. "No way! I can't tell him… something will explode!"
Starfire sighed as she opened Raven's door to exit. "Then you'll only make things worse, Raven. Besides, you may find that love is the one emotion you don't need to control." She walked out, leaving Raven in a stunned silence.
The dark girl sighed deeply before heading out of her room into the dark and empty hall. Why was she still going shopping anyway?
'Because…' Part of her mind reasoned. 'You want to grow up, be pretty… impress him.'
Raven sighed again as she stepped into the sunlight outside their tower. It would certainly be an adventure of her own…
… Perhaps too much of an adventure.
Raven stood in the middle of a dressing room that was the size of a small classroom, clothes and dresses were hung and folded all around her, looking as though she were actually in some sort of fabric factory instead of a department store.
'Why…' Raven sighed deeply, picking up a pair of pants and top to try them on.
As soon as she walked in, all the sale associates pounced! Attacking Raven from every direction, she was bombarded by tips, clothes, accessories, and make-up before she even had a chance to think. All the tiny blonde girls seemed all too happy to help the famous young titan with her shopping… and apparently her fashion emergency.
"Raven?" Some one knocked on the door.
She opened the door to look into the round face of the only associate she could stand.
"Hi, Madeline…" Raven whispered carefully. "Um… what do you think?" She turned around and Madeline shook her head, her dark brown curls bouncing around her cherub-like face.
"That isn't a very good color on you…" She said carefully. "May I come in?"
"Yes, thank you!" Raven dragged her into the dressing room and Madeline chuckled.
"I brought you some clothes that weren't baby-blue, orange, yellow, or worse… pink." She hung them up and began to pick up the clothes that she was certain would refuse to look even halfway decent on Raven.
"So…" Madeline began, digging through the piles of clothes for possible fashion mishaps. "What brings you here, anyway? Or am I not permitted to ask?"
Raven looked into those beautiful dark brown eyes that she wished she possessed, and felt herself spill everything from the bet, to the fight, to her feelings for Beast Boy. Madeline sat and listened attentively, not saying a word, but nodding carefully.
"… and now I feel like I should dress up and be pretty… so he notices me." Raven sighed deeply. "But I only feel like I'm just making things worse."
Madeline smiled brightly and shook her head. "You aren't… you want to impress Beast Boy, and that is completely understandable…" her round features were contorted as she thought for several long moments. "Why don't you buy a dress… a pretty one, so that when he sees you he'll drop dead and love no one else!" Her idea was nice in theory, but in practice it seemed like too much out of a teen romance.
"A dress?" Raven asked. "What about just a few nice things…?"
Madeline blushed then nodded. "Sorry… sometimes I can get carried away."
"Dress!" Raven suddenly shot up and Madeline blinked in surprise.
"What's the matter, Raven?"
"I need a dress! Bruce is throwing a party for the JLA and Teen Titans TONIGHT… well, shit." She swore angrily again, glaring at the ground.
"Well!" Madeline jumped up, her eyes glimmering with a newfound energy. "You're in luck, because I happen to be very good at putting people in dresses! I'll be right back!"
She raced from the dressing room, leaving Raven to gape at her Starfire-like energy. Maybe this was a bad idea, leaving herself in this girl's hands…
"I'm back!" Madeline called as she entered the dressing room with half a dozen dresses. She hung each of them up on a different hook around the room, as to display each one properly. Raven was surprised to see that the dresses Madeline picked out were not too far from her own tastes. Each one was a cool color of green, purple, or blue and magnificently designed, cut, and sewn into a beautiful dress.
"So? Did I do okay?" Madeline asked, hope shining in her eyes.
Raven turned and smiled. "I'm amazed… you picked out all these dresses that are so… me."
Madeline blushed, then returned her smile. "Well, try one on!"
Raven reached for a slender black dress that shimmered blue when light hit the fabric. It was fairly simple with the exception of folds of a blue chiffon fabric over her bosom, and draping from her back. "I like this one…"
Madeline nodded. "I like that one too…"
"So… should I try it on?" Raven asked nervously.
Madeline laughed lightly. "It won't bite." She started for the door. "I'll try to find you some other things, be right back!"
Raven swallowed hard as she slipped the dress on and entered a second heaven. Not only did the dress look drop-dead gorgeous on her, it felt wonderful… as if every part of this dress were really made just for her.
'This is it…' Raven swallowed hard. 'If I buy this dress… I'll finally start to grow up… I'll start being a woman…' Looking back into the mirror, she had finally made up her mind. It was time to be a woman…
HI THERE EVERYONE! Sorry about the wait in the chapter, it was tech-week for my high school play, and it took a crap-load out of me. But it's done, and due to the fact that I have been in every play that's come across my way this year… my parents have forbidden me to be in another one. Tear!!
Well, it's good news for you anyway.
I don't own Teen Titans and I hope I can get the next chapter out soon!!
Lots o' Love: Xaph!
PS: I am SO SORRY I know this chapter was like CRAZY boring, but there was NO WAY for me to get around it! I had to write it, although it was really dumb. I PROMISE the next chapter will be better… ::GRINS:: cause that's the party chapter. Mm-hm! Just how will Beast Boy feel when he sees Raven in that pretty dress?
WARNING: Massive fluff will come your way!